Michigan State will host South Florida on Saturday in the first meeting between the two programs and isn't scheduled to play a return game in Tampa until 2018.

Given the evolving nature of conference realignment, that the two teams will meet five years later is no guarantee.

Much in fact has changed since Aug. 15, 2006 when South Florida first announced a home-and-home football series with Michigan State.

The original connection between the two schools was then-Michigan State coach John L. Smith having worked with current South Florida athletic director Doug Woolard, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Michigan State would fire Smith later that year, and South Florida is two head coaches removed from Jim Leavitt. The Bulls back then had a rising Big East program that would earn a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, with Leavitt on the day announcing the series saying, "My mom graduated from Michigan State, so that's exciting."

The two teams were originally scheduled to play their first game in Tampa in 2012, but four years ago, the game was shifted to 2017. The game has since been moved to 2018, though Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said that date could always change again.

The 2018 schedule for Michigan State stands to be the third year of the Big Ten returning to a nine-game conference schedule as the league transitions beginning next season to 14 schools.

South Florida now plays in the American Athletic Conference, which makes up the football-playing schools that once made up the Big East.